ilmeiden

Ilmeiden is the genitive plural form of ilme in Finnish, meaning “the expressions” or “of the expressions.” The base ilme denotes a facial expression or appearance. The form ilmeiden is used to indicate possession or relation to multiple expressions, for example in phrases like ihminen ilmeiden vaihtelu, meaning the variation of people’s expressions.

In linguistic terms, ilmeiden illustrates how Finnish expresses genitive plural for nouns ending in -e, with the prefix or tailing suffix changing to -iden to mark plural possession. The word is commonly found in analyses of nonverbal communication, art criticism, and journalism where descriptions of facial cues are relevant.

Usage and significance extend into psychology and cultural studies. Facial expressions are studied as indicators of emotion and social signals; cross-cultural research on universal emotions such as happiness, sadness, anger, fear, surprise, and disgust has highlighted both commonalities and cultural differences in ilmeiden-like cues. Finnish discussions of ilmeiden often appear in discussions of performance, theatre, and media, where an actor’s or subject’s expressions contribute to meaning and interpretation.

See also: Nonverbal communication; Facial expression; Emotions; Paul Ekman.